Rayagada, July 4, 2026: Security forces have recovered a cache of firearms, ammunition and logistical supplies from a concealed Maoist dump in the Raghubari Reserve Forest under Ambadola police station limits in Odisha’s Rayagada district, the police said on Saturday.The recovery was made during a joint search operation carried out by personnel of the District Voluntary Force (DVF) and the Special Operations Group (SOG) on July 2. According to the police, the operation was launched on the basis of intelligence obtained during the interrogation of recently surrendered Maoist cadres. A Bomb Disposal Squad first sanitised the area before the cache was recovered, considering the possibility of improvised explosive devices in the vicinity.
The seized materials included a .303 rifle, dismantled parts of a Sten gun, a country-made firearm, .303 and 9 mm ammunition, magazines, Rocket Bomb Grenade Launcher (RBGL) rounds, Cordex wire, gunpowder and Maoist literature. Security personnel also recovered food items, medicines, clothing, toiletries and other articles believed to have been stocked for use by Maoist cadres.Police said preliminary investigation indicates that the recovered weapons and other materials belonged to the banned CPI (Maoist)’s Banshadhara-Ghumusar-Nagabali (BGN) Division and had been hidden for future use.Officials said this is the second major recovery of a Maoist dump in the district within a month. On June 13, security forces had recovered another cache of arms, ammunition and explosive materials from the Dhepaguda Reserve Forest under Ambadola police station limits.The police said Rayagada had achieved its target of becoming “Naxal-free” by March 31, 2026, following a series of Maoist surrenders. They added that coordinated operations by the SOG, DVF and the CRPF would continue in vulnerable forest areas to detect hidden arms dumps and prevent any attempt by Maoist groups to re-establish their presence in the region.
